Comments HealthyKids has made
Parachuting Cats in to Borneo
Parachuting cats into Borneo! A Cautionary Tale.
In the early 1950's, the Dayak people of Borneo suffered a malarial outbreak. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had a solution: to spray large amounts of DDT to kill the mosquitoes that carried the malaria. The mosquitoes died; the malaria declined; so far so good. But there were unexpected side effects. Amongst the first was that the roofs of the people's houses began to fall down on their heads. It seemed that the DDT had also killed a parasitic wasp which had previously controlled thatch-eating caterpillars. Worse, the DDT-poisoned insects were eaten by geckoes, which were eaten by cats. The cats started to die, the rats flourished, and the people were threatened by outbreaks of typhus and plague. To cope with these problems, which it had itself created, the WHO was obliged to parachute 14 000 live cats into Borneo. Operation Cat Drop, now almost forgotten at the WHO, is a graphic illustration of the interconnectedness of life, and of the fact that the root of problems often stems from their purported solutions.
(Quoted in Rachel Wynberg and Christine Jardine, Biotechnology and Biodiversity: Key Policy Issues for South Africa, 2000)
Ellie Goldberg, M.Ed. www.healthy-kids.info
On I shall speak now and then forever hold my peace posted 2 years, 6 months ago 20 ResponsesInstead of "canary"
Suggestion for an image to take the place of the canary? The Sentinel Lion
Rachel Carson ws a "Sentinel Lion." Rachel Carson had the courage, the confidence, the reverence for life, and the sense of responsibility to speak out during a period of widespread pesticide abuse and environmental degradation. Her book, Silent Spring, still has the transformational power to be the touchstone for a new wave of social consciousness and political urgency.
Rachel Carson inspires us to think of ourselves, not as whistleblowers, troublemakers, or canaries in the mine, but as guardians, steadfast sentries, and defenders of our community against the decisions that allow pollution to contaminate our air, water and food.
We can picture ourselves as the sentinel or guardian lion, the universal symbol of protection, alone or in pairs, at the entrances of cities, buildings, gates, bridges, museums -- guarding the treasures of our community. We are the sentries, gladiators, the "guardian at the gate," the sentinel lions working to inform and engage citizens in the work of aligning local practices with the Precautionary Principle and sustainability standards.
The image of the "Sentinel Lion" will help reframe (and reclaim) the goal of environmental advocacy from simple consumer activities, often limited to changing light bulbs, buying "green," and recycling, to greater citizen engagement at all levels working for government and corporate transparency and accountability.
The goal of advocacy is to foster a culture of Sentinel Lions who, like Rachel Carson, are motivated to take responsibility for the health of their communities and to work for sustained political and cultural change that prioritizes public health.
Celebrating Rachel Carson's Centennial
http://journal.rcn.net/RachelCarson2007Ellie Goldberg, M.Ed. www.healthy-kids.info
On No more canaries in coal mines, please posted 2 years, 6 months ago 31 Responsesplanting trees
Dear Umbra, Just wanted to share a related reference that gave me a perspective on this topic. The article is "Individualization: Plant a Tree, Buy a Bike, Safe the World?" in the book Confronting Consumption by Thomas Princen, Michael Maiates and Ken Conca. Helps clarify the consumer vs the citizen actions that really make a difference on a large scale. On Umbra on tree planting posted 2 years, 10 months ago 18 Responses